February 2018 - Daz 3D New User Challenge - Lighting
barbult
Posts: 24,417
New User's Challenge - February 2018
Sponsored by Daz 3D
Are you new to the 3D World? Are you at the beginning stages of learning 3D rendering? Have you been around for a little bit but feel you could benefit from some feedback or instruction? Have you been around awhile and would like to help other members start their creative journey? Well then come and join the fun as we host our newest render challenge!
"Lighting"
This month's focus will be on how you light your image. Lighting is what defines and enhances the viewer's experience when looking at an image. Lighting helps a viewer to "see" the story. The presence of light, or the lack thereof, provides us with the ability to believe the world we are looking at. It can tell us if an object is round, whether it is close or far away, what colors were used and even if the surface is reflective. As an artist, it will be your ability to master the use of light, that will set you apart from the others. Below is a source list of lighting tutorials, articles and videos that will help you understand how to use your software, the different techniques used to light a scene, and the theory behind why lighting is needed. This list is not comprehensive; it is just a starting point.
In the past year, some exciting new lighting tools have become available in the Daz Store. They are listed below in red to grab your attention. It is NOT necessary to purchase these tools to participate in this challenge or to create great lighting for your image. They are simply new tools that offer new options.
Also, keep in mind the topics we've covered during previous challenges. Build upon what you have learned to create a compelling image to light this month.
This year of New User challenges is just getting started. So far this year we have covered :
Inspiration:
Check out the amazing entries and discussion in last year's Lighting Challenge.
Other Helpful Links:
When following tutorials, be cognizant of the different applications (Bryce, Daz Studio, Poser, Carrara Blender, etc.) and different render engines (3Delight, Iray, Reality, etc). Techniques for one may not apply directly to another. If you have some favorite Materials, Surfaces, and Shader tips, please share them in this thread.
How to Use Your Software:
DAZ Studio
VII - Lights
Daz 101: Lighting (video)
Point Lights, the Basics
http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/25899/ (ideal for those who have purchased Gia 6, but the lighting tips can be used even if you haven't)
http://www.daz3d.com/great-art-now-step-5-lights
3Delight IBL or HDR type lighting environments
NEW tool for both 3Delight and Iray: IBL Master (store link) IBL Master Discussion (forum discussion)
UberEnvironment2 - Made Easy
UberEnvironment2 Basics
Learning UberEnvironment 2 Return to Topic
Uber Area Lighting: The Basics
Iray
NEW tool for both 3Delight and Iray: IBL Master (store link) IBL Master Discussion (forum discussion)
NEW tool for Iray: Ghost Lights (store link to one of several sets) Ghost Light Discussion (forum discussion)
NEW tool for Iray: Emission Profile Master (store link) Emission Profile Master Discussion (forum discussion)
Creating and Lighting a Scene with Iray in DAZ Studio by SickleYield
Lighting and Tone Mapping in Iray by SickleYield
Ghost Lights: Interior lighting Tutorial
Poser
Poser – Lighting 101 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QWWXZ64ZiM
Poser Lighting 102 (Attenuation) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofj-vOgbwsQ
Poser Lighting 103 (Shadows) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbHQTXiGrx0
Poser Lighting 201 (Ambient Occlusion) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GZbHV7MJD4
Carrara
Chapter 14: Setting Lights
Bryce
Artist’s guide page 125
Thoughts on Lighting in Bryce 7.1 by Rashad
Bryce: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C772CuZ6RgI
Bryce: http://www.bryce-tutorials.info/bryce-tutorials/lighting-and-skies.html#
Bryce: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_mzhnLRx0s
Bryce: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-Pe-IVp_dY
Theory:
Mastering Lighting in Blender the first 25 minutes of the video.
Lighting Basics:
http://www.amaanakram.com/lightingT/part1.htm
https://software.intel.com/en-us/articles/the-basics-of-the-art-of-lighting-part-1-simple-principles-of-and-techniques-for-creating-artful-lighting
http://www.3drender.com/light/3point.html
http://bensimonds.com/2010/06/03/lighting-tips-from-the-masters/
Examples of Lighting:
Some Examples
I will be checking in as will the rest of the Community Volunteers to try and help with anything you all may need.
For a list of the current contest rules, please see this thread: Challenge Rules
Closing Date: February 28, 2018
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Comments
Here's my first couple of renders for this month. Ended up having a second idea while I was waiting for this thread to open up for posting so here they both are for feedback.
Personally I'm leaning in the direction of the campfire one even thou it'll be tough to try and focus on it. Reason is that it reminds me of how my late uncle and I used to go camping when I was younger and where trying to get back into it before his health started going down hill. (Heck the list time we tried to get to our spot that we stayed in, we didn't even get there becouse we busted a hole in the oil pan on a rock that someone dropped ahead of us in the stormy weather.) That in itself wouldn't be so bad, but this month (this saturday in fact) marks 2 years that he's been gone.
Sorry about the rambling, any feedback on both of them is welcome.
That sounds like bittersweet memories Shinji.
I find both ideas good.
The campfire looks great, but I know by myself, how hard it could get, to bring the light in a good balance for the whole scene.
In your second entrie I like how the light comes thrue the holes in the wall. It would be interesting if you could make this effect even stronger, so that the room looks very dark and only the sunlight, who comes in, stamps the silhuette of the female runner out of the dark.
You have a nice orange glow from the fire going on. Is this strictly a night scene? Is it twilight? Or perhaps it is just deep shadow?
If you can some dappling of light on the ground or twinkling lights through the trees would help to give a better sense of the time of day.
I would be interested to see Daybird's suggestions for the 2nd image.
@ Shinji
Oil pan must have been one witch of a rock. Unexpected hike back home? : /
Like the campfire scene.
Second one's cool too. Maybe dust, 'god ray' coming out of the RH corner? Everyone always has suggestions-- maybe you already have something even better in mind! : )
@ everyone
Like Shinji, I've been waiting for February for.. For months! For me, lighting might be the most important thing we cover, so here’s what I’ve come up with. Might need some background though.
Was watching an old 1930s movie from Germany and thought it interesting. Rather than show the crime, the director (Fritz Lang I think) used a shadow over the actress, then cut to another scene. I thought it more effective than actually showing the bad guy because you don’t know who he is.
Spent hours in 3DL figuring out how they did that. Projected shadow was too large -- how to get it the right size? Closer in? Eventually he’s in the scene.
Then at 2AM, I had insomnia and figured wait a minute. If the off-camera bad guy is half way between spotlight and the actress... Scale him down by about half?
So 50% worked! Yes! (Fist pump, but try not to wake anyone up.) I had to raise baddie up and tweak horizontal, but finally got his shadow where I’d hoped.
Still, the render was lacking something. Originally, she had her hands up screaming, but that looked goofy.
Then I watched a documentary about hate groups, and a riot. Suddenly it all came together. Her expression needs work. With 3DL, I'm not sure about the gamma. It's at 2.2 so hopefully it's not too dark.
I call it “Out of the Shadows.” She isn't screaming in terror. She might look shocked, but who knows... Pink stocking cap in there on purpose. Maybe she'll give him a lesson in self defense. ; )
Thanks for reading and of course comments about how to make it look better always welcome!
--Bruce
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Edit: weeding out old imgur files. PM missing links.
Uhh, I know this movie, we had to see it in "history and politics" don't remember it's name though. Neat impact here.
I also try something different for me, with light. I stumbled over an old funfair cart, with those graffitis of robots that looked like 80's clothed girls but fully metal.
Just a first draft as always this early in a month, but the idea should be visible now.
It sure was, luckly we were able to get a signal on my uncles cel phone and call a tow truck, otherwise it would have been a long trek back home, we were in Colorado up between Durango and Silverton, and while it's pritty up there, (Like driving into a postcard as my uncle would say.) I wouldn't want to be walking in the rain up in them there hills.
I am not familiar with the specific movie you are referencing but I understand what you are trying to achieve. I find her head is titled a little too high. Perhaps it is the way the shadow sits just under her nose.
I like that shock of pink. It really draws the eye to her head.
Are you planning on using some kind of background or set? I like the interesting light and shadows you have going but I find the plain, black background funnily distracting.
Here we go with version b of my campfire idea. Added a second character and moved the camera so that both of them are in the frame. Also gave my first character a knife and stick so he can start whittling, and made him start telling a tale. Hid some grass and weeds that were in the way of the new camera angle, did some texture work, and messed with the choices of sky settings to try and find one I liked.
This is coming along really well Shinji. I like the relaxed pose on your 2nd character.
What is in the lower right corner? Is it a rock? There are some funny striations on it. It looks like it might need some SubD adjustments?
I once made a tutorial for a situation like this, you can find it here: https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/comment/1348011/#Comment_1348011
the key element is to make a first scene where you just create the shadow-works, safe the resulting image and load that into a spot image. the details should become clear in the tutorial, there is a second part a bit further down in that thread.
That one was originally made for 3DL but in the general process that should work wor Iray as well, the difficult part being to adapt the lumen in the spot (let me tell you it needs to be crazy high)
here is what I made back then
Cool concept Bruce.
Like Kismet said, there is one thing, that is a little distracting.
It's the pose of her head. It looks like she is staring at a giant.
Even when the shadow looks so big, I think that the man with his raised truncheon stands near behind the camera and she should focus that area.
Nice work with the different light reflections on the body and the shader looks also interesting.
To bad, that this early render is to small, to take a closer look.
Only the dark background makes it look a little flat. A little light reflection on the floor and behind her, would do wonders, I think.
.
Nice work already. Folks are off to a quick start. I keep saying I am going to migrate to Daz Studio, so here goes. This is probably my 6th or 7th Daz Studio render. I am really struggling with some of the basics, like adjusting the tiling of shaders, adjusting the brightness of lights, etc. There are some light artifacts I don't understand. Had trouble lighting the back wall.
Classic subject matter for the scene, Theseus using thread through the maze to face the minotaur.
EDIT: NAE, but I'd like comments and help.
This is my first image for this challenge I just used spotlights for this. It's rendered in 3Delight.
A good place to start. The feet could need a little adjustment, as well as her hands and her shoulders. I totally like the highlights set by the spotlights.It creates a nice sunsetty atmosphere.
Now with Background. The background plane is illuminated by a spotlight, while the two sides of her were two emissive planes, with 2'900 Kelvin and 10'000 Kelvin.
Man this is going to be long! Busy already!
@ Shinji
Blown oil pan. That’s pretty hard to do I’d think. A hike in the rain... Yes that would uhm... Vacuum.
The second character around campfire really adds to it imo. What’s a campfire without some story telling? !
@ Kismet
What? Don’t like “nose cam”? I was hoping no one would notice that, but yes. She would be looking at the guy rushing at her with a baton and not up like that.
Problem is that eye level has spot hit right in center of pupil & doesn’t look very good.
It’s a fair call though. Guess that’s why this is called a “challenge” !
@ Linwelly
Thanks for link. Will check it out. I like 3DL, but it requires patience. I don’t know of anyway to preview except for a test render. That led to 27 open windows behind DS and an error. : 0 !
Still can’t figure out how to get a long skewed shadow. Maybe tilt badguy on X axis? I enjoy puzzles, so this should keep me busy.
That’s cool render. So to get that perfect outline over them, that’s 'pwGhost' and you set up shadows to perfectly match? (I haven’t looked at your link yet.) That is amazing! Thanks again.
@ Daybird
OK, two votes against “nasal cam” : 0 !
I figured that was going to be one of two problems. I’m disappearing down a rabbit hole on this one. Hopefully I can figure this out.
@ Diomede
I looked at your join date & wow. Do you have a gallery? Bryce, Carrara, or Hexagon expert? I can’t speak for others, but any 3D tips you’d like to share-- more than welcome!
@ Sueya
You’re back! Or you never left. Same question as Diomede if don’t mind my curiosity. Other apps? Those join dates speak for themselves.
I’m also trying to learn Carrera, and that one will probably take a decade. ; )
Anyway, I won’t presume to comment on your render. Obviously you know what you’re doing.
@ High Elf
Am assuming it’s still in concept stage. So no ‘helpful’ nit-picking... yet.
Interesting you mention Kelvin. If anyone interested in RGB and Kelvin values, here’s a link I found useful.
http://planetpixelemporium.com/tutorialpages/light.html
@ Everyone
So I followed Kismet’s advice and changed angle of head, moved camera, but still face problem with highlights being right over pupils.
Which one looks better? Only eyes in the light, or her entire face in the light?
Thanks for reading very long post-- lot of people very early this time!
--Bruce
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Edit:
Test diff camera. Add hair. The first one was way too dark, so this one has been 'optimized for web' & assign sRBG. Hopefully the levels & gamma are OK. : )
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Edit: weeding out old imgur files. PM missing links.
Happy to share what little I know.
My Daz start date just means that I am old. LOL. I got Poser 4 way back in the day and had a Daz account but didn't do anything with them for many years. I actually started to use 3D right around the time that Daz released the first genesis figure and Carrara 8.5. For the most part, I found that I enjoyed modeling stuff more than rendering stuff. I learned Carrara over time by participating in the monthly challenges. Now that Daz Studio and Carrara are drifting apart, I am trying to learn Studio and Hexagon. Hexagon is so similar to Carrara's vertex modeler that it has been relatively easy to learn for me. I'm sure learning Studio will be fine if I practice, so I plan to participate in these new user challenges, maybe some RRRR challenges, and similar things to prod me to try to use the Studio tools. I do have a couple of threads where I post screenshots of what I am trying to do. It is so people can give me tips. However, some people find these threads useful if they are trying to learn the same things that I am trying to learn.
Thread for getting started in Carrara (early posts) and more advanced tips (later posts) https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/119181/no-one-asked-me-diomede-posts-screenshots-on-whatever/p1
Example, using Carrara's plant modeler to make a tomato plant and then sending to Studio to save as a duf file prop. https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/comment/2449631/#Comment_2449631 and https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/comment/2450521/#Comment_2450521
Thread more focused on my attempts to learn Studio. https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/146056/diomede-s-studio-sketchpad/p1
Examples, creating facial morphs (flower face and villain). https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/comment/2818296/#Comment_2818296 and https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/comment/2820726/#Comment_2820726.
Thread for making clothing.https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/65357/the-male-content-creation-mutual-support-group-thread/p1
Thanks for the links. Had almost given up on Carrara 8.5-- cannot figure out how you're supposed to get shadows. Everything shading related is checked in 'render room.' Quick glance at your tutorials, I might have been going about setting things the opposite way. I'd been doing sky first, then terrain, then props/actors. Bass- Akwards? ; )
Anyway, that gives me something to go on.
PS: RRRR is a hoot isn't it? I don't stand a chance in actually getting featured yet, but they're hilarious!
Thanks again
Here we go with version c of my campfire render. Gave my first character a log to sit on (even if it's only on the edge.), did some texture work on the bolders and ground, and added a referance to a song that my late uncle and I used to listen to sometimes when we were up in Colorado when I was younger. Ironicly the song in question was the first one on Spotify's discover weekly playlist this week for me.
Warning, the referance isn't clear, and even though I know where it is, I have difficulties seeing it myself, but if I moved things it would cause difficulties seeing things. A hint, listen to the song The Lumberjack by Jackyl in the first few seconds (no more then 10 seconds in) and you should get an idea of what to look for.
Hi, I did this a few months ago, really wanted to figure out how to backlight a scene, using minimal light to keep the focus on the faces, but have them fade into the dark. I did several renders before I got something I was happy with. Any feedback greatly appreciated.
Hello, everybody! I've been out of town while you've been hard at work. I just got back online last night. I'll look through the thread and see what you've accomplished so far.
Wow, that looks like a poster for a movie. :)
I like the concept, it fits very well light theme.
The reflection in the eyes looks fantastic and very natural... the first time, that I realy see that in a render.
The Background looks until now a little empty, but I think this is because of the test render. For my taste the SSS (hope I hit the right surface area) is a little to much around the noses. In this Area we have a bone under the skin who reduct this effect.
But please don't erase this complete, because I like the effect.
The only thing who looks very unnatural are the hairs, (especially his...or is that because of tons of grease? ;) )
But I know about the difficult with close ups.
It's hard, to get good results on hair and the skin. ( Has anyone a hint, or a good tutorial about that? I would need that too. )
OK, after I criticize so much on Asums entry, (what was not my intention, because I like this entry the most until now.) I post my first try, who has much more things, who can be criticize.
Again I played with the bloom effect, but how all can see, it doesn't come out how I hoped it would. (unfortunately a bit too much)
I used dome and scene (enviroment intensity reducted at 0.1), placed 4 spotlights, but Iray does again not that, what I tell him, so I have a lot off work to do, to light up the scene.
I'm also unsure about the DOF and my rain is until now nearly invisible.
While you may have a lot of work to do as you say Daybird, I think that you have a nice start to work off of. In fact, I'd recomend trying for a fire outside of the frame for some extra lighting which I think would add to the story I see forming. With the glow of the demon's eyes and mouth I almost think that it's a fire demon of some sort, and if that's the case then it'd make sence that there'd be fires left in it's wake as it was being chased down almost like they were marking the path that it was taking in a way. On the otherhand I like the silhouette effect that you've got going, and adding more lights with mess with that is the thing.
Hi Daybird
Many thankd for the feedback, it really i appreciated. I agree with the hair comments (in fact I ended up using photoshop to fix a few parts such as hair, but this is the pure Daz version). I also think the skin tones - especially around the edge of the face (around the nose) look a bit plastic, almost opaque, which I tried to get rid of, unsuccessfully. I'm still learning the software!!
Had a third idea tonight that I had to render to get out of my head. Now I'd better try and get some rest, I've got work in about 6 hours from the time of this post.
@ Asums
Welcome to the fun!
Emissive light for the front? Low intensity spot?
Something is going on with surface settings (duh) to make the bridge of his nose appear almost translucent like that, and of course his hair isn't a plastic helmet.
Can you pose a screenie of your surface settings?
Please don’t take any of this the wrong way. You have a terrific render as is! Usually, ‘tweaking’ doesn’t come around until later. Since you said you’ve already been working on it, I guess you’re at that stage. ; )
Good job!
@ Daybird
Nice concept. Since it’s just to get the idea across, I spotted a few things, but you probably see them also.
I like the sawed off shotgun.
@ Shinji
I listened to them and was thinking, “Chainsaw?” But where?
Ha! Don’t know if me saying anything more would spoil finding it for others, but I thought it was fun touch. *Especially* where you chose to place it. ; )
Latest one: twin mini’s... Someone or something is going to be eating lead. I read that eating lead is bad for your health. Bad for the nerves or something. Can also lead to significant blood loss...
Realistically though, the recoil would have her flying back in the air wouldn't it? Assume vest has some sort of compensator?
@ Linwelly
Had time to go through suggestions, and wanted to thank you again.
I think a member named either “Takeo.Kensei” or “ Mustakettu85 “ put it best when I was asking basic questions at 3Delight topic. Total Freedom.
Certainly having an image ready-made and loading it onto a light goes a long way towards that!
(These are just samples of almost limitless posibilities & not entries of course.)
Green around him reminds me of the old X-Files show. ; )
Very valuable tools for special effects and so-called "NPR"s
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Edit: weeding out old imgur files. PM missing links.
Hi Tynkere, all help and tips welcome, I'm still learning the technical sideof Daz, and very much want to learn. In fact just from reading your comments, I realise I've never used the surface tab before!! And I realise the G3 male hair glossiness was set to 100% Something I can correctr straight away.
I've attached a couple of screen grabs for the surface settings of the male character and an overhead of the set up. If I can improve the look of the textures please let me know.